


The Price of Everything

by PinkVomit



Category: The Arcana (Visual Novel)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern with Magic, Asra has to fix everything, Asra is a modern witch, Curses, Dreams and Nightmares, Eventual Romance, F/F, F/M, Graphic Description, Implied Relationships, Implied/Referenced Sex, Lucio is a gucci wearing spoiled frat boy, Lucio ruins everything, M/M, Male Pronouns for Asra (The Arcana), Modern Era, Multi, Nadia is mom friend and has the braincell, Past Relationship(s), Witchcraft, also hes an art major, potential apocalypse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-06
Updated: 2020-01-06
Packaged: 2021-02-27 05:28:25
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,080
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22151797
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PinkVomit/pseuds/PinkVomit
Summary: Asra is left to pay for the mistake of someone who genuinely couldn't care less about the consequences. As his dreams begin to get worse and worse, it's up to him and his friends to fix the curse that's plaguing their town.
Relationships: Asra/Julian Devorak, Lucio/Nadia (The Arcana), Portia Devorak/Nadia
Kudos: 19





	1. Half Hearted

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Asra stops taking care of himself in favor of finding out what negative energy is plaguing his dorm room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When Asra passes out, he has an awful nightmare that gets very graphic. Viewer discretion is advised.

Originally, Asra had thought cleansing his dorm room would be an easy chore. Now that he was on his last stick of white sage, however, he began to understand that this was no ordinary haunting.

One week. Terrible awful dreadful energy plagued his and his roommate's dorm room for an entire week and refused to leave. No amount of sage, casting circles, protections, or general “fuck off” spells made it go away. It came to the point where he was ready to make the four hour drive to the nearest occult shop and beg a random coven to help him out.

It was about 3 am when the front door of his dorm swung open. Asra shot back into consciousness, nearly dropping his lighter in the process.

“I don’t think this is healthy, y’know-” Julian coughed as he spoke. “-oxygen deprivation causes brain damage.”

“You would know a lot about that, wouldn’t you?” Asra glared back at him from behind white curls.

“Ouch. Was that directed at my kinks or my intelligence? Did you get meaner while I was gone?”

Asra pinched the bridge of his nose, generally irritated. If you were to ask him if it was Julian or the lack of sleep causing such an attitude, he would not be able to answer- mostly due to the fact that he would probably blank out the moment you asked him.

Before he could answer Julian’s question, he was already opening the windows of their stuffy dorm. “When was the last time you slept? I know I’ve pulled my fair share of all nighters, but this is getting ridiculous. “

His only response was a half hearted grumble. As someone who could sleep through a hurricane, it was an understatement to say this was abnormal behavior for Asra. Julian sat next to his exhausted roommate and began to gently check his eyes. The adjectives that immediately came to Julian’s mind while looking into Asra’s eyes went along the lines of “drained”, “defeated”, and “currently dying if I don’t have an intervention”.

“Have you even eaten today?” Julian asked this, but it was more of a formality than an actual question. Looking upon Asra in such a state, despite everything between them, hurt. He hadn’t seen him so pale since the time Faust got sick. 

Limp as a ragdoll, Asra allowed Julian to lift him up. In any other situation he’d refuse the offer in independant solitude, however he had no energy left to speak let alone fight an ex medical student on the subject of his current health.

Julian carried him all the way over to the McDonald’s across the street from their campus. 

“Do you want anything specific or should I just order anything?”

Asra grumbled for a moment, almost unable to be heard. It took Julian a moment to realize he had said, “Nuggies”.

The very moment Julian turned around to order though, he heard the loud  _ thud _ of Asra’s now unconscious body hitting the floor. 

Julian dropped to the floor in a panic, lifting up his roommate once again. Upon checking for a pulse, Asra was still very much alive. Sleep deprivation had finally caught up to him.

  
  
  
  
  


_ “You will be nothing soon enough.” Spoke a voice that Asra could not recognize. _

_ The world around him was rusted and red, decayed to the point of the ground caving out slowly under his feet. Sulfur and smoke flooded his lungs. It was too hard to breathe, too hard to see, he could hardly speak and his body kept him in place. _

_ “Thank you for being so useful, child.” The voice spoke again. “You’re going to be perfect.” _

_ Hands moving without his volition, Asra could feel his nails digging and scratching at his chest, tearing away at his skin. He scraped away muscle, snapped away his ribs, all until his hands found his heart. He felt the dull  _ **_ba-bump ba-bump ba-bump_ ** _ of his still beating heart drum against fingers. Asra could feel his hands linger over his heart, shaking, unable to allow themselves the privilege of putting Asra out of his misery. Still, the searing pain of his fingernails digging into flesh returned once more. It tore him up until the fleshy shreds of his heart strings were splayed across the ground. Strangely, the half of his heart his hands had spared still beat. The hollow beats rung around him, surrounding him, shaking the ground beneath him. Was that even his heart anymore? _

_ “This is why you are still here.” _

  
  
  
  


This wasn’t the first time this dream had invaded his mind. Asra looked down at himself, seeing that his hands were clutched tightly onto the fabric of his shirt above his heart. Things had gotten worse since the last time he’d allowed himself to sleep. 

It was then that he noticed he was no longer at McDonald’s, nor was he in his dorm room. Instead of the smell of burnt sage and rosemary, the scent of perfume and home cooked food filled his senses. Sleek looking ikea furniture to his left, deceivingly expensive curtains to his right, Asra knew exactly where he was. This was Nadia’s house.

Nadia was the only one among his group of friends who could afford living in one of the neighborhoods across campus. Coming from such a highly esteemed family, this was a shock to absolutely no one unless they were violently racist. As such, Nadia made it a point to spoil her friends literally every chance she had. Visiting her had only one downside- and that downside was currently complaining about not being able to find his gucci sunglasses.

“Nadi, you HAVE to help me find them! I’m gonna be late at this rate!” Lucio shouted from his room. Asra could almost hear the bratty pout Lucio was making from his voice alone.

“Sorry, I can’t hear you. The stove is too loud.” Nadia responded. The stove was obviously not loud enough to block out Lucio’s temper tantrum, and due to such a conversation happening every single day, Nadia was disappointed that her statement was a lie.

With a subtle  _ click _ , Asra heard the stove turn off. Nadia left the kitchen with a bowl of chicken curry in her hands.

“Ah, good, you’re awake.” Nadia spoke softly to him and placed the bowl in his hands. “Eat up, Julian told me you hadn’t eaten last night.”

Knowing that this wasn’t a suggestion, Asra began to eat. “Thank you.”

“You should be thanking Julian when he leaves the bathroom.” Sighing, she took a seat next to him on the couch. “Poor thing carried you all the way over here, he could hardly explain why you were passed out.”

The mental image of Julian ugly sobbing over Asra’s unconscious body ran through his mind before he decided to brush away the thought. It was a terribly funny thought despite the situation, but nonetheless a very Julian thing to do.

“Is….he alright?”

Nadia’s face was stern, and Asra felt as if she was about to chew him out. That fear only lasted a moment, though. “What’s been bothering you? You haven’t been yourself lately, everyone’s worried, me included.”

“Nothing, nothing’s bothering me.” Asra dared not to look her in the eye with such an obvious lie, but he felt her grab his face. The hold was not harsh, but he could not break out of it.

“Asra,” Nadia began, “Julian told me you haven’t been taking care of yourself at all. You’re not sleeping, not eating, and you’ve only been drinking things to keep you awake. I’d understand if it was for a project you’re working on, but he also said you’ve been ignoring school work too. If there’s something going on that’s making you neglect yourself, we want to help you.”

He could feel her piercing gaze trying to search for a reason why he’d been acting so strangely. The intensity of her eyes was incredibly hard to brush off, and as the tenseness of the situation peaked, it quickly fell apart with a familiarly awkward cough.

“Erm..am I interrupting something? Should I leave?” Julian shifted his weight from foot to foot, not knowing what to do with himself.

Nadia sighed, letting go of Asra’s face. “No need. I said what I needed to.”

“Oh, did you talk with him? I’m assuming you talked to him about his health? Yes?” Julian glances at Nadia for only a moment before immediately looking away. “Okay I’ll shut up.”

As painful as Julian’s haphazardly brash concern for Asra was, it was a relief to have him around. Once Nadia left the area, Julian replaced her spot on the couch. Asra could tell he was struggling to speak. He’d open his mouth, close it, look over at him for a brief moment, and look away. It was still a much better feeling than Nadia’s powerful concern.

It may have been better, but it also wasn’t that pleasant. “You wanted to ask me how I was?”

“Well, there’s a lot of things I want from you, but that’s one of them.” Julian seemed to realize how that sounded the moment it came out. “Okay that came out the wrong- I do want to know how you are but that’s not all I- y’know I just-”

Asra covers his mouth before he could continue to embarrass himself. “I’m feeling better now, thank you for taking care of me.”

Julian, who looked as if he could die right then and there under Asra’s touch, gently removes his hand. “I meant...emotionally. Are you doing okay?”

“I’ve...been in better shape.” There was a moment of hesitation in Asra’s response.

“Did something happen? If you’re going through something, I can listen.”

Asra went silent. At this, Julian began to panic. “Is it me? Did I do something?”

“What? No, no you didn’t do anything-”

“I know sometimes I can be way too loud and sometimes I eat your food when you’re not home but if I’m bothering you to the point where you’re not sleeping or eating at all, I can move out, I mean I’ve been staying at Pasha’s long enough for me to basically live there by now so I can just-”

Asra’s hand returned. “Ilya, not everything is your fault. You didn’t make me feel like this. I really and truly do not give a single shit that you eat my ramen when I’m away. It’s fucking ramen. I’m actually glad you were there to help me, you don’t need to apologize for being my roommate.”

He looked at Asra as if he didn’t believe him, but the look only lasted a moment. Asra removed his hand on his own and continued to eat his food.

“Is it too personal?” Julian asked.

“Not entirely.” Asra responds. “I just don’t want to talk about it.”

Julian nodded, folding his long legs so he could sit comfortably. “I’m sorry.”

“You’re alright.”

The air is awkward between them, Julian not knowing what to say and Asra not entirely knowing what to do. He planned, at least in his head, to maybe invite Muriel over to help him out with this energy. Knowing Muriel however, he’d probably get stuck in the door frame of his dorm room considering Julian constantly hit his head against the top of it. He considered letting him in through their absurdly large window, but Julian would likely lose his shit over a large strange man breaking in while he’s trying to nurse his roommate back to health. Speaking of which, Julian probably wouldn’t allow Asra to take the four hour drive to the nearest witch store when he’s like this.

“We don’t have to go back to the dorm if you don’t want to.” Julian suggested, interrupting Asra’s train of thought. “I mean, I can go get Faust and bring her here. Nadia said you can stay as long as you need.”

Asra smiled gently. “Yeah...that sounds good, thank you.”

Julian stands up, seeming very ready to help in any way that he can. “Alright! I’ll be right back, please don’t die while I’m gone!”

He is already out the door before Asra can promise him otherwise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading my first arcana fanfiction! Feel free to let me know what you think in the comments!


	2. Fight or Flight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Asra has to hang out with Lucio. Needless to say, it puts him in a bad head space

There were only two things on this Earth that made Asra want to launch himself off the nearest balcony: being around Lucio for an extended period of time, and Lucio directly talking to him. Considering that this was Nadia’s house and killing yourself in someone else’s home would be rude, the balcony would have to wait.

“Don’t you have classes today?” Asra asked a pouting Lucio. Ever since Julian and Nadia left the house, he’d been pestering him about things he wasn’t exactly listening to. It wasn’t that nobody would care (surely Lucio wasn’t the only one so frustrated about his communications project that Valerius wouldn’t just do for him), it was the simple fact that Asra didn’t want to hear about it. 

“Well, of course I do, but I’m not leaving until I find my sunglasses.” Lucio leaned back on the couch, propping his legs up and across Asra’s lap. “Besides, they’ll do fine without me! It’s a win-win situation! I don’t have to do the stupid and meaningless group project, and they get more done on their own. They’ll thank me later.”

Asra’s grip on his spoon grew tighter. Were it not for Lucio and Nadia dating, he would’ve taken the spoon and beaten him with it.

He doesn’t recall him and Lucio ever being quite friendly, nor would he really say that him and Lucio are exactly enemies. The term frenemies could come to mind when describing them, but that implied a level of friendship or mutual respect which their relationship lacked. Perhaps if Lucio toned it down on being a privileged asshole or Asra learned to like privileged assholes they could be friends. 

Neither of those things were bound to happen anytime soon.

“Why don’t you go search for them, then?” Closing his eyes, Asra politely brushed Lucio’s legs off of him. 

Lucio’s legs were quick to return. “Well I would but I thought you’d be lonely out here. What kind of host would I be if I just let my favorite wizard hang out in my house on his own?”

‘Probably a better one.’ Asra was quick to keep that one an inside thought.

“Last time I checked, I was the only witch you knew.” The word “witch” was spoken through gritted teeth.

“That’s why you’re my favorite! The best wizard I know for the best man I know.”

Ugh. If Asra were to ask himself why exactly him and Nadia were still an item, he would continue to not have an answer, for this wouldn’t be the first time he had asked. It wasn’t an obligation; Nadia’s family ensured that her having a roommate was completely optional. The reason being fear didn’t seem very likely either. One could guess that she loved him, but such a thought was drowned out by her unloving attitude towards him.

Asra told himself that he’d ask her later, but later never came.

Having been lost in thought and dissociating spectacularly, Asra had failed to notice Lucio’s presence leave. He failed to notice a lot of things, actually. He failed to notice the room grew colder, he failed to notice the world’s light grew darker, the fine details of the world slipped beneath his awareness into vague remains of stimuli and null white noise.

The door ahead of his vision beckoned. Would he open it, or fail to notice it too?

Dark oak,so dark it looked as if it were rotting. Was it growing closer or was he walking toward it? His hand touched the handle of the door that wasn’t there before. Was it there before? Maybe this door had always existed, and poor naive Asra was too stupid to see it. Working himself to the bone must be so tiring. It wouldn’t be the first time he’d failed to notice something as obvious as a door. In some cases, it was more of the fact that he just didn’t care enough. Asra, the man who failed to notice a door and care about those around him. Poor, stupid Asra.

There was a loud yelp at the front door and the world went back into focus.

Asra rushed over to answer and there Julian was, snake around his neck and scared shitless. He quickly learned why exactly Julian was scared upon looking down. Placed directly on the center of the welcome mat was a dead bird. It was fully intact, were it not for the scent of death one could assume it was just a prop.

Julian was ushered inside with more haste than he thought possible. It only took that split second of sudden panic for Julian to realize Asra was about to book it. He had to scramble to grab Asra’s wrist before he could rush out, pulling him away from the door and against his chest.

“Oh no you don’t-”

Asra began to thrash, slipping out of Julian’s grasp for only a moment before being scooped up all over again.

“Asra, ASRA- it’s just a bird, you need to calm down!” Julian, knowing that Asra’s gut instinct to bad things happening is to run as far away from the bad thing as possible, took him away from the door. Faust slithered down from Julian’s neck onto her friend’s shoulders, curling up and rubbing herself against the crook of his neck. This seemed to soothe his nerves.

“What was all that about?? I know I got freaked out by the bird, but you’re acting like it’s trying to kill you!”

“We aren’t safe here.” Asra, taking labored breaths, shifted his eyes from one corner of the room to the next. ‘That bird, it’s not a good omen. It followed me here, I need to go now.”

“No, no no no no, you’re not thinking rationally. It’s just a bird. No bird followed you, you don’t have a freaky bird stalker thing hunting you down.”:

“I am genuinely convinced you actually think that’s what I’m afraid of right now.”

“Well I was hoping you’d give me a little more credit than that but no. Either way, you leaving wouldn’t change anything.”

“Oh how would you even know, Ilya, half of the time you barely listen to me!”

“Because I saw something in the dorm room!”

Asra opened his mouth to argue back, then stops. ”...you what?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter. It is certainly shorter than what i'm used to writing, but I have a lot of projects I want to get done! Tell me, what do you think happened to Julian at the dorm?


End file.
